Mayor Leonard Krog
NANAIMO – In response to the pandemic, a local collective of leaders representing public bodies, private institutions, community organizations and businesses came together to outline Nanaimo’s recovery. The following strategies and ideals are the result of six months of planning, and if embraced by the community, are the groundwork for Nanaimo’s recovery and resilience in the face of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every corner of our community and has impacted everyone who lives and visits here; it’s shaken the business community, it’s disrupted events and social gatherings, and its dramatically impacted education and the way our community learns. With such a widescale impact, it will take commitment from Nanaimo’s community as a whole to see a full, healthy, and well-connected recovery.
The recommendations outlined in the report look at opportunities to rebuild Nanaimo across six focus areas:
- Nanaimo BUILDS: A community pride, citizen-directed campaign to generate enthusiasm for the rebuilding of all sectors of Nanaimo’s community, including education, recreation, culture, business and community support for those most vulnerable.
- Mayor’s Nanaimo Leaders Table: To be established immediately and under Mayor Leonard Krog‘s leadership, the leaders table will collaborate with multi-levels of government to ask for capital infrastructure for Nanaimo. The leaders table will also help to establish a working group/youth council consisting of representatives from SD68, VIU, venture and technology incubators, youth services, cultural organizations and major employers to develop a plan to address youth (18-34 years) attraction and retention. It will build collaboration among key entities.
- Prioritize STRATEGIC Investing: Create a process/criterion to prioritize the strategic investment recognizing Nanaimo as the Heart of the island “north of the Malahat” to develop the best means to improve the economic and social position of the city.
- Reconciliation & Anti-racism: Publicly launch an anti-racism awareness program that promotes diversity and inclusivity and furthers progress with Reconciliation.
- Prepare for Future “Event”: Prioritize Nanaimo’s emergency preparedness and resiliency measures with appropriate actions, levels, and accessibility to funding that is necessary to address possible future events.
- Support for Small Business: Work with the small business community to leverage lessons learned regarding economic resilience, which includes reviewing taxation and funding methods to reduce financial burdens. Develop transportation and digital infrastructure strategy to help sustain small business.